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What is a Barbershop Shave?

I think it's about that price here. I'm not sure it's over priced given the time it takes.

Happy shaves,

Jim
True when as you said the time taken might well be worth the experience. I should really have said some shops are over priced. For a nice gift to someone $55 for a shave isn’t to bad.
 
There’s no standard. My first was done with a Gillette Mach 3 and left me feeling like I had no shave at all. I felt cheated. The barber said it was all about reduction and made several passes. It still felt like a good beard was left behind.

My second was performed with hot wet towels, two passes and a shavette. I think for sanitation purposes you’ll see more of this than straights?


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In some States, Maryland for example, it is illegal for a barber to use a blade on more than one person. Shavettes are universal in Barbershop shaves. No soap either. Only got foam from a machine.

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In some States, Maryland for example, it is illegal for a barber to use a blade on more than one person. Shavettes are universal in Barbershop shaves. No soap either. Only got foam from a machine.

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I haven’t seen a straight in Ohio or Georgia. The lather has always come from machines.


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Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
True when as you said the time taken might well be worth the experience. I should really have said some shops are over priced. For a nice gift to someone $55 for a shave isn’t to bad.

The barber I know told me shaves are so expensive because of the time involved. Let's say a haircut goes for $25. She can do two haircuts in the time it takes to do one shave. Thus the shave has to go for $50.

Whether it's worth it is up to the customer.

I found an interesting article on the legality of real straight razors in barbershops. I'm not vouching for the information, but here it is. According to the article most shops can legally use a true straight razor.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
When I lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. I'd get myself to a Barber shop shave along with my haircut or trim. Head and neck massage was included in the haircut and shave. Hot steam towel wrap and while the towel was on my face my barber would be making my lather. My dad and I had bought our own shave mugs and brush from the barber to leave at the shelf in the shop, reserved for steady customers. The lather was warm and thick, he used a straight razor for the shave, one pass and some touch-up, aftershave, Haircut, lather around ears and neck, shave,(later it was styled instead) then neck and head massage, hair tonic and comb.
 

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
True when as you said the time taken might well be worth the experience. I should really have said some shops are over priced. For a nice gift to someone $55 for a shave isn’t to bad.
The last barber shop straight razor shave I got in Manhattan was only $7 bucks! Of course that was 25 years ago, but still.

Don't understand the use of shavettes, the straight razors were always placed in barbicide between customers, and are a lot more comfortable than a shavette in my experience.
 
I have regularly frequented two barbershops in Japan over the past twenty odd years, one in Kyoto and one in Tokyo. My barbers are not particularly old (one is in in his forties, the other in his fifties) but both are third-generation barbers who take a lot of pride in their work. The services for a shave and a haircut run about 4000 yen-4500 yen ($35-40). However, I usually spend about 75 minutes in the chair, sometimes longer if there are no other customers. Both use shavettes because its the law in Japan (or so I suspect). However, I get a three-towel shave that lasts at least three days. The attention to detail is phenomenal. They do only one pass but they go over my face inch by inch pulling the skin between the fingers. They spend a great deal of time on the jawline and chin. The shaving cream is always warm and my current guy uses shaving oil before and a balm after as well. Some interesting local Japanese touches/customs include shaving the forehead, shaving between the eyebrows and using hot cream and the razor to shave the back of the neck. You also get a fantastic neck and shoulder massage. My current barber uses a chair from the 1920's.
 
The last barber shop straight razor shave I got in Manhattan was only $7 bucks! Of course that was 25 years ago, but still.

Don't understand the use of shavettes, the straight razors were always placed in barbicide between customers, and are a lot more comfortable than a shavette in my experience.
I agree about the shavettes. Barbicide kills everything so I would rather have a straight razor shave.
 
Well I gave up on Straight Razor Shaves a long time ago.

I have the worlds most sensitive skin and toughest beard.

I went 3 times in my life to different places and each time ended up all cut up.
 

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
The barber I know told me shaves are so expensive because of the time involved. Let's say a haircut goes for $25. She can do two haircuts in the time it takes to do one shave. Thus the shave has to go for $50.

Whether it's worth it is up to the customer.

I found an interesting article on the legality of real straight razors in barbershops. I'm not vouching for the information, but here it is. According to the article most shops can legally use a true straight razor.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Excellent article about the legality of straight razors in barbershops, thanks for the link.
 
I went to a wedding in India two years ago (a three-day affair). I decided to treat myself to a first-class haircut and shave at Truefitt and Hill in Mumbai. This would have been prohibitively expensive in most countries but in India it was "affordable." It is probably overkill for this thread but here is what I got (Barber Shop Services – Luxury Grooming Salon for men | Truefitt & Hill India - https://www.truefittandhill.in/pages/barber-services):

THE ROYAL SHAVE

Experience the luxury of a timeless straight-razor shave.
  • Perfected since 1805, this classic Royal ritual begins with the wrapping of hot towels followed by exfoliating the face with a scrub.
  • Thereafter, the skin is nourished and massaged with a light-textured pre-shave oil.
  • This makes the beard soft, allowing the razor blade to glide smoothly.
  • A hot towel is wrapped again, an occurrence that is repeated often to help open the pores and relax the customer.
  • Using our handmade badger brush, a small amount of our glycerine-based shaving cream is applied to create a rich and emollient lather.
  • The brush coats each individual whisker with shaving cream ensuring the most comfortable shave possible.
  • Now, holding the skin taut with one hand, the other hand does its magic with a straight-razor.
  • This zen experience of shaving heightens when the Royal Shave concludes with a relaxing facial massage and the application of a selection of 10 aftershave balms/lotions.
 
I went to a wedding in India two years ago (a three-day affair). I decided to treat myself to a first-class haircut and shave at Truefitt and Hill in Mumbai. This would have been prohibitively expensive in most countries but in India it was "affordable." It is probably overkill for this thread but here is what I got (Barber Shop Services – Luxury Grooming Salon for men | Truefitt & Hill India - https://www.truefittandhill.in/pages/barber-services):

THE ROYAL SHAVE

Experience the luxury of a timeless straight-razor shave.
  • Perfected since 1805, this classic Royal ritual begins with the wrapping of hot towels followed by exfoliating the face with a scrub.
  • Thereafter, the skin is nourished and massaged with a light-textured pre-shave oil.
  • This makes the beard soft, allowing the razor blade to glide smoothly.
  • A hot towel is wrapped again, an occurrence that is repeated often to help open the pores and relax the customer.
  • Using our handmade badger brush, a small amount of our glycerine-based shaving cream is applied to create a rich and emollient lather.
  • The brush coats each individual whisker with shaving cream ensuring the most comfortable shave possible.
  • Now, holding the skin taut with one hand, the other hand does its magic with a straight-razor.
  • This zen experience of shaving heightens when the Royal Shave concludes with a relaxing facial massage and the application of a selection of 10 aftershave balms/lotions.

Was it a good shave?
 
In most U.S. locations, at most, you will get a shavette shave. Many health code regulations do not allow a straight razor shave. There was a barbershop that opened up in a town I lived in when lived in Florida. They used a shavette and made lather with a brush. It was close to an old fashioned shave.

I have not had a good, old-fashioned shave in years. A few years ago I was given a gift that was supposed to be an "old-fashioned shave." I made an appointment and when I arrived at the barbershop I did not see a straight or shavette anywhere. I asked the barber about that and his response was that "nobody uses that stuff anymore." I told him I could not see using a $50 gift certificate for a shave with a Mach III razor. I ended up spending the $50 on fragrances, instead.
 
I've had exactly 2 barbershop shaves. Once upon a time on my wedding day. Hot towel on my face with just a decent quality Cuban cigar sticking out. I didn't see how the lather came about, I was wrapped up in the towel. Then a kindly old man did his thing. Pulled the straight razor out of the barbercide, ran it across the strope a few times, and gave my the absolute best shave I've ever had in 27 years of shaving. And then, after he put his razor away, he dusted me with some talcum using a little brush. He had 3 different aftershaves, I chose fresh pine. Burned like the fires of hell, but in a good way. And in thr end, he graciously refused the tip I tried to give him, saying the groomsmen already took care of him.

The second time was years later when I decided to grow a beard. My last shave as a soldier would not be from my hand. A middle aged indifferent man tossed me a hot towel, got some foam from the can, popped a new blade into a shavette, and nicked me twice. And took off too much of the mustache. Dusted me with talcum and sprayed some foul smelling liquid on me. It was quite possibly first generation Axe.

My advice is to seek the kindly old man. Seriously, you should be looking for the hallmarks of a craftsman. Approaching it like a craft, not an art. You know what you're looking for in the barbershop. Look at the barbers, look at *how* they work, not just what their work looks like. When you find what you're looking for, you'll know.
 
How did shave compare to shaving yourself?

I am relatively new to straight razor shaving, so comparing my skills to a professional barber at Truefitt and Hill who has shaved hundreds if not thousands of faces is not fair. That said, when I ran my hands over my face it was BBS and the skin felt fantastic. It was the opposite of razor burn. The skin felt rich and nourished. I guess its like when the ladies go for a spa day with the mud masks and all that. I also smelled great (I was given a choice of scents and I went with the classic sandalwood). I was so relaxed that I think I fell asleep in the chair at one point. The facial massage, hot towels, and all the product were so, so relaxing. Finally, I really looked good for the wedding.
 
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Here in the UK, just about the only way to get a decent shave from a barber outside London is to find one of Turkish origin. Not all the Turkish barbers are good, and in fact there are some real butchers around, but the ones from families which have been in the business for several generations are usually excellent; much better than most of the "natives" who've taken a quick college course.
The one who cuts my hair and gives me an occasional shave uses lather from a machine, a shavette, talc and a citrus Turkish AS. One pass with touch-ups is standard. It's very relaxing, but the shave is probably not as close as I get using an SE.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
This afternoon I called in to a new local barbers' shop here is Cebu that advertises "real" shaves. I asked him what he uses and how much. Cost is PHP 120 (about USD 2.50) and he uses a straight razor. Considering that a man's haircut here cost PHP 50 to 60, that price for a shave appears about right.

I might skip my shave on Sunday and give him a tryout Monday morning to see what he is like.
 
This afternoon I called in to a new local barbers' shop here is Cebu that advertises "real" shaves. I asked him what he uses and how much. Cost is PHP 120 (about USD 2.50) and he uses a straight razor. Considering that a man's haircut here cost PHP 50 to 60, that price for a shave appears about right.

I might skip my shave on Sunday and give him a tryout Monday morning to see what he is like.

Definitely worth a try!! Let us know how things work out (PLEASE).
 
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